This invention relates to hydraulic systems for driving vehicle wheels and other vehicle components or implements.
Vehicles used for maintaining golf courses typically include reel mowers for cutting grass accurately. Hydraulic systems are carried by these vehicles for driving the reel mowers, the vehicle's drive wheels and other vehicle components such as power steering. These hydraulic systems typically include a single main pump and a plurality of motors which drive the respective wheels, reel mowers and components. It is known to provide these golf course mowing vehicles with front wheels driven by respective hydraulic motors supported at outer ends of a laterally extending structure which acts as a load bearing axle. Hydraulic hose lines extend from the pump to the various motors. Hydraulic return lines also extend from the motors to the pump. A reservoir is typically carried by the vehicle and serves as a container from which the main pump may draw fluid as needed. The various motors typically include case drains which allow fluid which has leaked from the motor to be drained from a motor's case. Hydraulic lines extend from the various case drains to a manifold which routes the drained fluid into the reservoir. The pump, reservoir, manifold and various hydraulic hose lines occupy a relatively large volume and generally clutter the interior of the vehicle. Servicing internal vehicle components can therefore be relatively difficult.
Another type of hydraulic system includes conventional right and left drive wheel axle shafts supported by a sealed housing. A pump-motor is provided Which allows the operator to infinitely vary the rate at which the drive wheels are driven. The pump-motor includes an input shaft which is driven by the vehicle's power source. The pump-motor also includes an output shaft which mechanically drives the right and left axle shafts. The axle shafts are supported within a housing, which contains hydraulic fluid for lubricating the axle shafts and the gears which operatively couple the axles with the output shaft. The housing also acts as a sump from which the pump-motor may draw hydraulic fluid as needed. This type of system does not include separate right and left driven hydraulic wheel motors, but rather provides a single hydraulic motor which drives both right and left axle shafts.
It would be desirable to provide a turf mowing vehicle having separate hydraulic motors for driving respective right and left drive wheels. It would also be desirable for such a vehicle's interior to be uncluttered, and not crowded with hydraulic system components and hoses. It would also be desirable for such a mechanism to be easily assembled to thereby allow relatively quick and inexpensive manufacturing. It would be desirable for such a mechanism to allow relatively easy access to interior vehicle components for service. Furthermore, it would be desirable for such a hydraulic system to be easily disassembled as required for maintenance.